Here are their answers:
Q: There has been a lot of discussions about state testing and graduation requirements. What are your thoughts on those topics?
Jennewine: The state has been difficult to keep up with in their ever-changing graduation requirements. The last several years has seen numerous changes in looking for the perfect answer that fits all students. Only it does not exist. We know kids learn in different ways and at different paces. Some excel in one area and struggle in others. And another student, the opposite. And yet others simply do not do well with the stress of mandated testing. The idea that the state can have a test, or set of tests, that determine a student's ability to succeed, or not, is not reality. We need to serve all our students, not just ones that test well.
Miller : Madison Schools do a fantastic job educating its students and preparing them for graduation. This is evidenced by a very high graduation rate as well as the amazing success Madison graduates have had securing scholarships and acceptance into colleges. This success is attributable to the many amazing teachers and administrators in the district, not the ever-changing requirements of the federal and state lawmakers. I believe governments should apply a 'less is more' approach to state testing while requiring that schools maintain a uniform, advanced curriculum.
Norvell: My mission is to help bring our Ohio report card to an A rating for all state standards and help aide our excellent teachers in doing that as well. That being said, we are concentrating too much on testing and teaching towards state tests, therefore, the state system has lost sight of teaching for education. We are teaching for state standards and ratings rather than our curriculum. I would like to see more autonomy in the classroom returning control to our teachers and administrators enabling them to focus on the core curriculum of our district.
Q: Another issue facing the Madison district and public education as a whole is unfunded mandates and perpetually increasing costs. How can Madison handle these mandates and cost increases?
Jennewine: Four years ago, when I was elected to the Madison School Board, our district was running deficits every year and facing a negative cash balance within 2 years. This meant a new tax levy for additional funding to cover the deficits. Since then, we have cut our budgets, increased our services, and gained revenues. This has not only prevented any additional, new tax levies, but has us in a position projecting surpluses for the foreseeable future.
Miller: During my previous 4+ years serving on the Madison Board of Education, my fellow Board members and I, along with the school administration have maintained a firm focus on conservative financial principals. I am proud that our district has only had to renew existing tax levies and has lived within our budget without increasing taxes, despite being a rural district with fixed real estate and income tax revenue streams. This firm financial foundation has enabled Madison to survive the ebb and flow of state funding as well as respond to ever-changing state mandates.
Norvell: The answer to that question would have to come from the state level. It is based off the formula used to determine how the state distributes money to our district on a per pupil basis. When I am elected as a new board member, we would look at each mandate individually, in detail, to see how it would affect our district as a whole. I would work directly with our treasurer to come up with the most fiscally responsible solution for students, teachers, administrators, while keeping their best interests in mind.
Q: Madison Twp. appears to be a fast-growing community is our area. That means larger enrollment and an increased need for special services with that growing population (i.e. speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, crisis counseling, behavior coaching, etc.) How can the district afford these specialized services and will other programs need to be cut?
Jennewine: Over the last four years, we have contained Madison Local School District's budget and continued to improve education. As a result, we are in a very positive financial position. We have projected surpluses into the next several years, even with finally being able to give teachers three years of raises. This financial restraint has put us in a very good position to be able to deal with additional funding needs. Just this year we have added additional student aids, speech therapists and special education resources. Having said this, we also need to continue to lobby those in Columbus that they cannot continue these unfunded mandates. And if new requirements are set, funding needs to come with them.
Miller: Over the past decade, Madison has seen its general student population grow to maximum levels in most of our grades. In the past 2-3 years, Madison has felt the most growth pressure in the areas of students with special needs and special education teachers. The awesome work of our special education teachers and aides has given our school the reputation as being the best public school in the area to send a student with special needs. Our schools have record numbers of students with special needs with more transferring into the district throughout the year. Madison has to continue to manage its finances with discipline so that all of our programs and needs are supported financially.
Norvell: It appears Madison may not be growing as fast as we think. We only had 6 houses built in our township last year. Our current enrollment has fluctuated plus or minus 10% from 1,580 students (K-12) over the past five years. We currently have a cap from the state with funds that we receive on our per pupil basis. We would have to look at each situation individually, and come up with the most fiscally responsible solution.
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